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Unlocking Mobile Technology is the Next Big Challenge…

Businesses should embrace social media but ensure mobile technology is a key part of their digital recruitment strategy over the next three years, according to Hays the leading recruiting expert.

A forum of invited business leaders at the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce event in the Fitzwilliam Hotel on Wednesday 1 June heard that, with mobile internet users set to overtake desktop within three years, addressing mobile technology represents the next big thing for the recruiters.

Senior Business Manager Andy Taylor, who specialises in digital recruitment strategy for Hays, told the NI Chamber of Commerce that as recently as one year ago recruitment presence on social networks was virtually nil but now 30% of all internet activity is focused on job seeking. This has led to the rise of hundreds of blogs, Facebook pages, and even YouTube videos dedicated to recruitment.

“The popularity of Facebook, linkedin and twitter has increased exponentially since 2008 and between them they now claim over 800 million users. But with the ever-increasing ease of Internet access through mobile devices – and the ubiquity of the app – those who grasp the ability of this media to connect, as part of the recruitment mix, will be ahead of the curve.”

Recent studies predict that the mobile internet users will overtake desktop users within the three years and this brings other issues into play surrounding digital assets like apps and optimisation of web content for the multiplicity of devices in the marketplace, he added.

A recent Hays survey found that nearly half of UK professionals use social networking sites regularly in a professional capacity. With the recession showing no signs of stopping, candidates feel they need to pull out all the stops to find a new job with 37% of survey respondents stating that they had increased the amount of time spent networking professionally online via social media.

Operations Director at Hays in Northern Ireland John Moore said: “The growth of virtual communities has revolutionised the way many people network, conduct business, and connect with potential employers and employees. Businesses must come to terms with the power of the social networking sites by having: a clearly defined strategy; the right expertise driving it; and the proper measurement in place to evaluate success.”

Attendees at the event gained insight into the impact of social networking websites, how to harness linkedin as a recruitment tool, and debated the benefits and pitfalls of this new virtual networking world.